Rain Clouds over Konoha
by wanderingwarriorchambers
Summary: Rain Ermaki, a hidden mist Chunnin falls in love with a woman from the very village that is conspiring againest his land. A tribute to the philosophy that love and friendship is still stronger then hate.
1. the brothers ermaki

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Rain, Saito and Zin Ermaki are original characters. Any characters or story content that matches any other events in the Naruto anime are unintended and coincidental.

Rain Clouds Over Kohana: A Naruto Fanfic

Chapter 1: The brothers Ermaki

"You want us to do a spy mission at the Village of Sound?" asked Saito Ermaki. "Yes, that's correct" responded the Mizukage, leader of the hidden village of mist. "Our tracker ninja have reported that sound ninja have been spotted in our borders for some time. We need to know what they are up to. I want you and your brothers to do this mission. This is an A-ranked mission, so please proceed with caution. If something went wrong, it could be disastrous for the village." "But lord Mizukage, Rain is a Chuunin and my youngest brother, Zin, is only a Genin." "That's true, but together, you three are capable of devastating moves. I know of your families Kekki-Genki. Select members of your family are either born with the ability to be immune to Genjutsu or be born with enhanced senses. Your brothers have both of these. You'll need them" responded the Mizukage. Saito scowled. This isn't the first time that he brothers were exalted by the Mizukage. His brothers are all he had now regarding family. His family was big supporters of Zabuza Momochi and most of his family joined him in the attempted assignation of the Mizukage. They were all executed for this. Saito and his brothers were spared though because they were still children. Saito vowed to take revenge against the village because he too supported Zabuza, even in his young age. He really hated his brothers because they had the family's bloodline jutsus and he didn't. Despite him being older and stronger, he younger brothers were always praised more, especially Rain. He had the family's bloodline technique that made him immune to Genjutsu. His brother, Zin, had the trait that gave him enhanced senses. Hate filled his heart so much that he wished that he could just take away those powers from his brothers. "Saito Ermaki, will you take this mission?" asked the Mizukage again, this time a little more annoyed. "Yes, we will. We'll leave immediately" "Good" responded the Mizukage. "You will have one month for this mission. If at anytime you are found, the village will deny that you were sent at all, so I suggest you take great care. Find out what Sound is plotting." "Yes, Lord Mizukage." Saito walked out and went toward his home where his brothers were waiting for the Mizukage's orders. Saito walked in with indignation. "Brother, what did Lord Mizukage want?" asked Rain. "We are leaving to the land of Sound. We are to spy on the village to find out why they have been sending spies to our home." "When are we leaving?" asked Zin. "Immediately! Gather your gear and let's meet at the entrance to the village in an hour. We are going to be gone for a month, so pack accordingly. Both brothers acknowledged and went to prepare for the task ahead of them. Once they were both gone, Saito gritted his teeth in more anger. Now the mere sight of his brother's was annoying him. Saito went to pack his own things, hoping that his anger wouldn't make him do something he regretted.

In an hour's time, Rain, Saito and Zin met together to start their journey. But Rain noticed that Saito was ignoring them and being really rude to them. In fact, as they started their journey, it was almost like he was trying to get them lost, but Zin's senses kept them close to Saito. "Brother Rain, what do you suppose is troubling brother?" asked Zin. "I'm not sure, but he better get off his high horse. We can't afford to be at odds with each other, not on a mission like this. Just don't lose him."


	2. The road to perdition

Chapter 2: The Road to Perdition

It was night now and the brothers already traveled very far from the Land of Mist. Rain and Zin were especially very tired, for it seemed that Saito wasn't really picking choice roads or means of traveling. Rain had just about enough and he made it a point to speak his mind to Saito once they made camp. "Saito, what in the world is your problem?!" he yelled. "You have been a jerk all day and it seems like you are trying to give me and Zin the slip. Zin is only a Genin, why are you being so hard on him?" Saito ignored Rain and continued to cook their meal. "I'm talking to you!" "I'll listen when you have something worth hearing" said Saito coldly. Rain snapped at that point. He rushed his brother and took him by the shirt. "We are on an important mission to an enemy village! If you are going to be acting like this, go home! I'm not going to fail Lord Mizukage because of your foul attitude!" Saito only scowled and then knocked his hand away. "You better watch the way you speak to me" threatened Saito. "I'm still your older brother and I'm still the man in charge." "Then act like it!" responded Rain. Saito walked away in a rage. "I'm sleeping in the woods" he said before he left. Once he left. Rain looked sympathetically to his little brother, who was quite upset at seeing his brothers in the confrontation. "Sorry about that, little guy. Saito is just not feeling very well. Looks like we are eating dinner by ourselves tonight." "Brother Rain, are you not worried that Saito will run off again?" asked Zin. "Counting on it actually. But he's not the only one with a map." Rain pulled out a scroll that had all their directions listed on it. "Got this copied before we left, just in case we lost the first. If Saito decides to run off, we can still get to the Land of Sound." "But still, I wish big brother would not be so mad. Why do you suppose he is so sour to us right now?" "The same reason he always has. He despises the fact that he wasn't born with our family's traits. I don't know why he's so upset though. Saito Ermaki, the Dream Ninja. He became famous in our land due to his ability to control people in their sleep and also brainwash them in that state. He may not have our family's special jutsus, but he has more then compensated for that. After all, he is clearly the strongest one out of us. He just doesn't realize how blessed he really is." Rain looked into the distance. "Well, you are pretty strong too" said Zin boastfully. "After all, brother could never touch you with his powers. You are immune to Genjutsu and that's what type of attacks he uses most often. And you have an even cooler name; Rain Ermaki, the Storm Ninja! When I become a stronger ninja, I want to be cool just like my brothers." "You better get off to bed Zin. I'll try to see if Saito is still in the area. If he isn't, we are going to have to be more careful." "Right!" agreed Zin as he headed off to bed. Rain turned around once he knew Zin was safe and he went off to look for Saito. He searched all around for nearly a half hour, but no sign of Saito could be found. "Maybe he did go back to the camp site after all" he said to himself. He hurried back to the campsite.

Saito did return to the campsite. In fact, he really didn't go far at all. He used earth style jutsu to hide himself in the ground. He was listening to everything his brothers were talking about. An idea came to him. A very evil thought. Rain was immune to his dream Jutsus, but Zin was not and it so happens Zin was sound asleep. Yes, that was it. He would control Zin and then would frame Rain for Zin's death. Then his brothers will be out of the picture and he will be the exalted Ermaki for once. And no evidence would ever lead to him. Saito did the hand signs needed for his Thoughtless Dreams jutsu. It was similar to the Mind Transfer jutsu, only expect that it only worked on a sleeping victim and that it was pretty expensive to use after long periods of time, especially the farther you were away. Once the jutsu connected with Zin, he opened up his eyes, but not of his own accord. Zin Ermaki was about to become the tool of demise for his older brother, Rain


	3. Terrible jutsuthoughtless dreams

Chapter 3: Terrible jutsu-Thoughtless Dreams

When Rain returned to the campsite, Zin wasn't around. "Hmm, wonder where he went" he said to himself. Rain was pretty tired and he still hasn't had any luck finding Saito. He yawned and put out the campfire. He was just going to end his night. Surely Saito didn't do anything foolish and Zin should get back quickly. He unpacked some blankets and lay down. But to Rain's dismay, he was quickly awakened by two shuriken embedded in his left thigh. He scrambled to his feet, but hobbled. He heard two more whistling weapons coming straight at him. He managed to duck down. He sure wished Zin was here. His good hearing and sight would be helpful. "Wait, where is Zin?" asked Rain to himself. Was he captured? Killed? Where was Saito? Too many questions needed to be answered and he didn't have the time. Rain jumped onto a tree branch and did the hand signs to perform his Dancing Cyclone jutsu. In the Land of Water, Rain was known as the Storm Ninja due to his ability to use his chakra to manipulate water, lightning or wind, depending on the weather. It was well known that during a storm, Rain was almost impossible to beat. The wind started to pick up and it blew all the surrounding areas beneath him. He heard someone struggling and cursing in the bushes to his left, about 4 yards away. He jumped toward the area and concentrated wind toward his assailant. Sure enough he saw a figure caught in the pounding wind. But his cries of pain sounded familiar. The assailant fell to the floor and Rain pinned him with a kunai knife at his throat. But to his surprise, he saw the glassy eyes of his brother Zin. "What?!" cried Rain. He heard more shuriken coming his way. He countered all of them with his knife, but that gave enough time for Zin to get another knife and stab Rain in the back. Rain fell to his feet with stinging pain filling his body. Zin tried to roundhouse Rain fiercely but Rain managed to duck and uppercut him. Zin feel down and moaned in defeat. "What is this? Can't be a clone, it can't be Genjutsu…" Zin started to stir in his sleep and seemed really disoriented. "I feel so strange" said Zin weakly. Rain kept his guard up and went to examine his brother, who already collapsed again. He noticed how pale he looked under the moonlight. His eyes still seemed glassy and bloodshot. He recognized this behavior and symptoms. "The Thoughtless Dreams jutsu?" asked Rain aloud. Just then, a kunai knife whizzed past Rain and struck his brother. Zin's blood was now all over Rain. He lied dead in his arms. Rain became enraged and focused his chakra. He held up his hand to the night's sky and a small bolt of lightning struck the tree near where the attack came from. A large branch became engulfed in flames and provided just enough light to reveal his attacker, his very own brother, Saito Ermaki. "But why?!!" yelled Rain. Saito only smiled and with a puff of smoke, vanished. Rain started to succumb to his wounds. He crawled to the first aid supplies and patched his wound. Afterward, he collapsed.

In the morning, Rain was in serious pain. He forced himself up and clearly saw the lifeless shell of his brother. Tears assaulted him. Confusion found him. Why did Saito attack Zin and him? What was his reason for doing so? Those questions were not important now. He gave his brother a proper burial and took his ninja supplies at the grave. "Brother, I will avenge you. I don't know when and I don't know how. I will complete this mission for both of us and confront our brother. I promise." Rain bowed and went on his way.

Three days later, Rain saw a village in the distance. "The village hidden in the sound…" he said to himself.


	4. fatal attraction

Chapter 4: Fatal attraction

Rain spent the latter part of the morning scouting out the Village Hidden in the Sound. His wounds kept on bothering him. He checked them out and they showed signs of some kind of infection or poisoning. Saito or Zin must have had something else behind those weapons. In addition, he was feeling kind of sick, but he had no time to let that get him down. While in an enemy village, you could never let your guard down. Rain heard a sound and quickly hid from view. He scouted out the noise and found its source to be a girl practicing throwing senbon. She hadn't noticed him yet. He noticed that she was wearing the Hidden Sound ninja headband. Rain was wondering what to do. Should he capture her and interrogate her? Should he simply kill her? He shook his head. No, he hated violence. In fact, he had always been criticized for being much too soft. Despite Rain being capable of amazing and deadly jutsu, he never wanted to use them to kill. On missions, Rain often used his abilities and skills to trap enemies, disable them or simply made it able so other Mist ninja could do the dirty work. Plus Rain could never find it in his heart to harm a kunoichi, no matter from what village. He heard rumors saying that was the only reason why he would never get past chunnin level in the village. He was a peacemaker at heart. Rain decided to simply knock the girl out. Rain loaded a poison dart into the crossbow mechanism on his arm. It was a poison meant to knock out the victim, not kill them. But to Rain's surprise, he felt a prick in his neck and then he fell unconscious. That sound ninja was sharper then he expected. She must have seen him and threw a perfect shot at his neck with her senbon. As he was blacking out, he blamed his clumsiness on his ailing body. Even he had to admit, his movement was sloppy and now he was going to pay for it. Rain Ermaki just failed the mission.

Rain woke up with a stinging pain in his neck. He tried to move around, but he was bound hand and foot. He wasn't dead yet, but when you're a captured ninja, being dead is desirable, for ninja torture was horrific and gruesome at times. It seemed he was still near the area where he fell and he saw the name kunoichi sitting on a rock, twiddling with a kunai knife and not taking her eyes off of him. He looked upon his captor. She looked like she could be around the same age as him, no older then 14 or 15. She had very long hair and a stern look on her face. She didn't look very friendly, but Rain knew Sound ninja were infamous for being very nasty. Rain was in for possibly a very uncomfortable experience. But why didn't she not turn him in or call backup? He couldn't see or hear anyone else, but of course that didn't mean they were not there by any means.

"Ah, my stalker awakes" said the girl as she rose up toward Rain, weapon firmly in hand. "I'm just a ninja who got separated from his group. I didn't mean to enter into your village. I mean you no harm!" said Rain, hoping his sorry story could convince her. It didn't. She planted the kunai right into Rain's shoulder. He gritted in pain. "That was a sorry lie. I see you are a Hidden Mist ninja. Just an innocent bystander huh? That's such a lousy lie. You're obviously a spy. And all spies deserve to die. She held the kunai at Rain's throat. By the look in her eyes, Rain knew that this girl had no problems with killing him. She raised the blade and prepared to slice Rain but he moved and the blade sliced his clothing instead, only leaving a scratch near where he was injured earlier. The ninja was shocked by his injuries. "You're injured and it's getting infected. What happened to you?" she asked not taking her hands off the knife. "I was attacked by my own brother. He was under the control of my older brother through his signature jutsu. I had no chance to save him." The sound ninja still kept on the defensive position but seemed to be interested in him now. "Just who are you anyway. And don't give me any bull because I'll slice your throat in a heartbeat" she threatened. Rain knew his life was pretty much over, so he felt no shame in telling her about him. "My name is Rain Ermaki. I am a chunnin from the Hidden Mist Village." "What are you doing here? You made one heck of a journey. Pretty long for a Sunday stroll" "Sorry to say cutie, but that's none of your business" said Rain. Even in the face of danger, Rain refused to betray his village. The girl smiled and walked back, but then quickly threw more senbon at Rain, which riddled his body. They hurt a lot. "Why are you playing around? A real ninja would have already resorted to real torture or would have turned me in already. Stop wasting my time" said Rain. The ninja only looked at Rain with the same interested look. "Here come on, clean yourself up. You should take care of that infection. I can get some stuff from my village to help out with that." Rain was speechless. He was a spy just caught by an enemy ninja, a Sound ninja no less, the most bloodthirsty village of all. "What? What did you say?" asked Rain confused. The girl cut his bindings. "Are you stupid or something?" said Rain, getting annoyed. I could just kill you right now" "Try it. I dare you" challenged the girl. Rain reached for his weapons, but he was stripped. If he tried to make a move with no weapons and with no time for hand signs, it would be fatal. Rain just simply submitted. "Now stay right there. I'll be right back. My name is Kin by the way. Nice you meet you, Mister Rain. She walked off whistling. That only led to Rain being angered more. "That novice, she must be an academy student or an amateur. Like I'm really going to stay here while she gets help. I'm outta here." Rain walked off and prepared to make his escape when he noticed he just tripped a trap. His feet got caught into a trap which held his feet tightly and hung him upside down. Rain was extremely mad now. How could he fall for such a basic trap? The same ninja came out from behind some grass. "I can't believe you fell for that." She threw her kunai and it cut the rope holding him and Rain fell hard. "Now don't move." She looked at the irate Rain. She smiled. "That look of anger you have. It's so endearing." She left, whistling that same off-key jingle of hers. Rain growled in anger, but this time just laid there. Apparently, he could never show his face to the other ninjas if they found out about this.


	5. The Sound of Madness

Chapter 5: The Sound of Madness

Rain, still believing that his life was over, waited for the Sound Ninja Kin to return. Whether it was in peace or condemnation, it didn't matter. He knew that his wounds were worsening and he knew that he probably did have much time left with them either. A half hour passed and she returned. She was carrying some medicinal supplies and seemed to be carrying herself a small meal. She threw an ointment near Rain and she sat down and started to eat. Rain shot her more dirty looks. "What's your problem?" she said nonchalantly. "You would rather let those wounds take you out? Be my guest. Doesn't make a difference to me." She took a sip of some soup she was enjoying and continued on. Rain picked up the container and examined it. Looked innocent enough. Might as well. He took a scoop of the cream on his figures and applied it to his wounds. Almost instantly they started to burn with an insane heat. "Ahh!!! You little brat!!" yelled Rain as he was scrambling to try to wipe it off. "It's just too cute to see you in desperation and pain" said Kin with a smile on her face. Rain glared at her. He was tired of being tormented by her. Ignoring his beliefs, he was determined to attack Kin. Rain charged her but once again, his moves were clumsy and Kin pounded him right in his injured side. Rain crumpled to the floor. Kin calmly went to her satchel and took out another container. She went over and rubbed the new ointment over Rain. This one felt refreshing. "You are much too fun to kill. Plus I think you're kind of cute. I think I'll let you go." "Why are you tormenting me? I am an enemy. What kind of ninja are you?! Are you a complete idiot or something?" Complained Rain. "Perhaps so. I guess I just don't feel like killing you. You seem much more fun alive." Rain was speechless. He didn't know what to think. None of his training or experience prepared him for this. Was she simply giving him false hope? Toying with him? Trying to charm him for information? Was she just naïve?" "I am leaving. My clan has enhanced senses in our bloodline. I'll know if you are following me." Rain tried to turn to leave, but he started to feel feverish. He slowed down and fell to a knee. Kin walked over and handed him a rice ball. "Here, eat this. Why don't you take it easy for a bit? Don't worry; I'll take good care of you." Rain wasn't sure if it was delirium that caused him to hear what he just heard. He was just simply too sick. He looked up at Kin. She was indeed quite a beauty. If she would have been from the Mist Village, she looks like the type he would want to date. "I still don't trust you" said Rain with the last of his consciousness. Kin took out a bell and gave it a flick. The ringing from it assaulted Rain's senses, since he still had above averages senses, just not like his brother Zin. They did the trick. Rain got knocked out again. Kin dragged Rain's body to a hidden patch of grass and trees and covered him up with a blanket she had. She also left some water and food nearby. "You're such a dork" she said to him. She went away.

Back at her village, Kin was stopped by her teammates Dosu and Zaku. "You sure took a while with your lunch. Everything okay?" asked Zaku. "Everything's peachy" said Kin curtly. She skipped away, humming a happy song. "She creeps even me out." Said Dosu.

Saito Ermaki had been tracking his brother for some time now. He was impressed he even made it to the Village of Sound after what he did to him. But he lost his trail now. He was busy searching for Rain so he could finish the job. He froze when he sensed he was being watched. He immediately went into battle mode and tried to fight back, but he was taken down by Sound Ninja and was taken captive. "Is this the one?" asked one of them. "Oh yeah, Lord Orochimaru has been expecting the Ermaki brothers." He'll be glad to see at least one of them." replied another.


	6. Back in Happier Times

Chapter 6: Back in happier times…

Rain finally woke up hours later, still in the hidden area in the woods. It was evening now. "I'm still alive?" he asked himself. He tried to move, but his body was simply too messed up. The medicine that Kin gave him was helping, but he still needed more rest. Rain took a moment to think. "Why?" he asked himself. "Sound Ninja are supposed to be blood thirsty barbarians." "What? You would rather me cut out your throat?" asked a familiar voice. It was Kin. She had some clothing with her as well as some food. "Here, put these on. I hope they fit. Your clothes are dirty and bloody. Not very good for fashion." Rain looked them over. They were women's clothes. "You're kidding?" asked Rain with a skeptical look. "It's all I have. Be grateful. Here, I brought you some food. I made it myself. Help yourself." Rain was hungry and he was willingly letting his guard down with Kin. Stupid move really, but Rain really didn't care. He was kind of glad that Kin was back. Rain took a big bite of the meal she gave him and he made a grimace. If this was her cooking, she was a terrible cook. But he stomached it. "Feel better? You do look better. Let me look at your wounds." She advanced toward him. "Why?" asked Rain as he got tense again. "Why? I want to see if they are healing." "No, why are you doing this? Why are you acting like this?" "Who said it was an act." Kin seemed authentically offended. "I know what you're thinking. She must be some stupid rookie. She must be trying to get information out of me. She is only using me to get some sick satisfaction. Yeah, I guess that's to be expected out of a Sound Ninja" Kin stood still, the wind blowing her hair very softly. You know, I don't have many friends and I don't have any family. I became a ninja because I wanted an excuse to die. With being a ninja, I could feel alive for a moment. Rain sighed and looked down at his half finished food. "You making fun of me?" asked Kin meekly as she turned around. She was wearing what seemed a genuine look of sadness. Rain couldn't help but feel her emotions. "You know, I don't have much family left either. And like you, the way of Ninja is pretty much my lease on life too. My family was executed for their crimes toward the village and my dear brother Zin, died recently too. Just like you, I'm being reminded of how it feels to be by yourself. But we still have our burdens to bear." "What burdens are you bearing Rain?" asked Kin as she sat down next to Rain. "I…used to have a close friend when I was younger. His name was Haku. Like me, Haku had Kekki-Genki. His family wasn't lucky like mine. They were persecuted. Poor Haku was forced to kill his own father out of defense when he tried to kill him. He ran away and I haven't seen him since. I and Haku used to play together and talk about the future. Talk about all the good we could do with our abilities. But I know that both of us now realize that peace, unity and friendship have little meaning in the world of ninja. I hope that wherever he is, Haku is okay. Rain looked up at the stars. It has been a while since he looked at the stars the way he was now. He and Haku would look up at them and dream. We would dream for a better tomorrow. A moment of silence broke in. Thank you Kin. I will put these clothes on." "Do you mind if I hang out here with you tonight?" Rain blushed and was speechless. "It's not what you think. The weather is good tonight and you happen to be loitering in my favorite hangout. Besides, it's not like I have anyone to go home to. But I can see you are trilled that I said that." "Whatever" said Rain as he covered himself up and turned away. Kin made herself home nearby behind another tree." "You know, I'm feeling better. I will be able to walk by tomorrow" said Rain. "What will you do then?" Kin didn't answer. Rain cursed himself. He had to admit. Kin really seemed to like him. But that couldn't stop him. He had a job to do. He was still involved in a month long spy mission. And he couldn't let Kin get in the way. But what would he do, if and when she did stand in his way?

Saito Ermaki woke up with a throbbing headache. He was in bare room with no furniture other then one chair in the center. Off in the corner looking toward the wall was one man. Saito figured that he was in the Sound Village as a prisoner. The man apparently noticed him. "So nice that you finally come to. Please make yourself comfortable. Let's talk a bit." said the man as he turned around. Saito gasped when he saw him. He recognized this man. It was the legendary Orochimaru! What was he doing here? Could he be the leader of the Village of Sound? "Orochimaru! You're the one sending the ninja to our village?" asked Saito. "Boy, you sure are blunt. Looks like I've been found out. Yes, I have been sending scouts to your village." "Are you planning to attack?" "Heavens no! My efforts are not worth your lowly Mizukage. Actually, we were trying to scout you and your brothers out. We were hoping we could extend a recruitment opportunity." "What? What would I want with the Village of Sound?" "Well as you know Saito, my village isn't very big, but we have big plans. But seeing that people from the nation are scarce. I am trying to find ninja to join my village. What better person to help with information gathering or assignations then the famous Dream Ninja, Saito Ermaki?" "Heh, why not ask my "precious" brother, the Storm Ninja, Rain? He was always the favorite with the family and village." "Don't worry about him. It so happens that your brother is befriending one of my ninja. Normally, I would kill the foolish girl for such an act of stupidity, but I think that I could use that girl to help the Storm Ninja to aid me. So for now, I'm letting them be. Kin's so innocent. She's really starting to have feelings for your brother." "I have no desire to work with my brother. He's dead to me now."

Rain was dreaming. He was much younger and he was running through the light snowy village walkway, trying to keep ahead of his friend Haku. But the chilly air was so heavy. Rain labored with every breath and the cold started to hold him down with its cruel grip. Eventually, he gave up, panting loudly while Haku whizzed past him and into the finish line only a few feet away. "Looks like you owe me lunch again, Rain Cloud" said Haku with a smile. Rain scowled but the handsome, toothy grin of Haku was hard to keep mad at. "I'll get you some day, I just can't get used to this cold weather" complained Rain. Haku looked into the sky. "Don't you just love snow? It's so pure. It's almost like walking in it will wash all your sins and cares away." "Weirdo, it's just frozen water. Why are you worried about snow so much when we are so poor?" "Well, since I spend so little money on the finer things of life, I can afford to be philosophical" Haku smiled back at Rain. He gave a little chuckle. "Hey, come on. I'll cash in my debt now. Let's go to my place and I'll see what I can whip up…"

Rain and Haku went into the Ermaki's hut. No one was there of course. Most of the village was out having a meet and greet with the Mizukage. He liked to travel to visit the locals. "Rain Cloud, the Mizukage is such a great man" said Haku as he took a big drink of the warm broth Rain's mother had on the fire. "He sure is. You'll see. I'm going to be a great ninja like him one day. I'm going to become strong and defend all the great people in the village. I know this because my family is great too." "You'll defend me too, right Rain Cloud?" asked Haku. "You know I can't become a ninja. Mother said I couldn't. "Of course Haku. You and I will always be the best of friends and I'll always protect you." Haku beamed. "Come on Rain Cloud, let's go back outside before it get's too chilly. Both boys ran back outside to enjoy the day further. They went near the lake to skip stones. Haku could skip stones very well. Rain tried every day but could never get those stones to walk on water. It was no different today. All of Rain's stones went plop while Haku's gracefully danced on the surface. "Beat me again" complained Rain. "Can't help it. I am the talented one of this team after all" said Haku with a teasing look in his eyes. "Yeah, talented trash talker. Watch, I'll totally blow you out of the water right now." Rain picked up another smooth stone. He backed up a distance away from the lake, and then he rushed forward. But his foot slipped on some hidden ice and Rain instead tumbled forward right into the icy water. Haku noticed that Rain hit his head just as he entered. Rain started to sink, totally motionless. Without thinking, Haku removed his outer robe and leaped into the water. He found Rain and dragged his body out. Once safe back on land, Haku checked on Rain. He was okay and was already coming too. He was shivering fiercely. Haku picked up the robe he was wearing and draped it over Rain as he held him close. Rain was blanketed with Haku's warmth. Rain looked at his friend and saw the care and concern in your eyes. Feeling embarrassed, Rain told Haku he was okay. "Don't do that ever again" said Haku as both boys went back home. Rain had a huge bump on his head and he was feeling numb all over, but it didn't matter. Haku was with him and that's all that mattered right at that moment.

Rain awoke back in the present. He was pretty itchy. He flicked a few bugs off of him and breathed a heavy sigh. "Haku, I miss you. Where did you go?" Rain heard that Haku survived the attack on him and his mom but the village was destroyed in Haku's self-defense. The Ermaki family wasn't in the village thankfully. Rain's parents were showing him the academy where his brother Saito was already training. Soon Rain would join him there and also the little child that was in his mother's arms, Rain's little brother, Zin. When they came back, the village and the people were no more. In a panic, Rain looked everywhere but Haku was gone and Rain never saw him again. Rain eventually learned that Haku ran off with Zabuza, the renegade ninja. He heard this from his family, who become deeply involved with Zabuza's plans to assassinate the Mizukage and other shady things. Despite this, Rain never heard anything else. When he heard Zabuza was dead, he never let himself believe that Haku was dead as well. No, Rain preferred to think they would meet again and once again spend those long days together doing whatever. "Hey Rain Cloud!" said a voice. Rain quickly looked, hoping it was his friend, but it was only Kin." "Don't call me that" snapped Rain, "You are not allowed" "So feeling better? Need anything?" asked Kin as she sat crossed-legged across from Rain. "No, I'm fine. Have you come to kill me yet?" "No, not yet. So, tell me a little bit about yourself. It's the first time that I met anyone outside of the village." Said Kin. It looked like she just finished bathing. She smelled very clean and fresh and she was still combing her long hair. "A ninja never tells about himself or his village to an enemy. You will do well to learn that. Anyway, I'm a ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist, a chunnin to be exact. What about you? You don't seem very Ninja savvy. "I'm a Genin so I'm not ignorant, stupid. How many times do I have to tell you? I just like you that is all. I'll be nice to you at least for a little while. Anyway, you said you were attacked by your brothers" "Yeah…" said Rain looking away. "And…?" asked Kin. "And what? Just drop it! It's none of your business" "Hmm…" responded Kin. "You know, you are from the same village as that Zabuza huh? Yeah, they say that some ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village took him out as well as his partner. "Don't say that" said Rain very sternly. "Haku isn't dead" Rain put a lot of emotion into those words and Kin finally felt she was getting somewhere. "Hey, accept it. The kid is taking a dirt nap whether you like it or not." "I said don't say it!" yelled Rain. Kin gave a look of indignation to Rain. "He was my best friend and we swore allegiance to one another. He can't die. Not until we see each other again." Rain looked down. Kin noticed one stray tear fall down. "I'm sorry. It sounds like you cared a lot about him." Rain didn't respond. "You know, I never really had friends. I mean, there are my teammates, Dosu and Zaku, but really no one else. I don't even have any family. I stay with my teammates." Rain thought about his mission. It was clear that Kin might know something about Sound's activities in Mist. Kin was looking toward the mountains. Her hair was flowing wildly, almost like a tattered cloak. Maybe you can better understand me and Haku then." commented Rain. "It seems you are getting better. Your skin color is returning." There was a period of awkward silence. "I'm going home now. If you happen to go anywhere, don't go near the village. They'll kill you. Seriously, they will." Kin walked away. Rain for some reason didn't want her to go. "Wait" he cried out without really thinking. Kin turned around. At first, he couldn't find the right thing to say. "What I'm trying to tell you is…you don't have to be alone all the time. I mean, why even live in a village if you are a hermit anyway? You kind of remind me of myself when my family was executed. I too felt lost and useless, but my brother really helped keep me and Zin encouraged. And the village too supported us too, despite my family being traitors. Not only that, I had Haku. He was my best friend and I loved him. Not all people are bad and you don't always have to distrust those who may be different from you." Rain felt foolish for saying such mushy words. Some manly ninja he was. Kin took those words in and returned to Rain's side. She knelt down and came close. Rain gave a subtle smirk. Perhaps he charmed her after all. Maybe she was going to tell him how much his words encouraged and helped her. Instead she came close and whispered "Geez, you're such a pansy. I think you just gave me heartburn" Rain gritted his teeth in anger. "Oh yeah! You're the emo nutcase who…!" Rain couldn't finish his cursing. Kin hit him hard on the head and Rain got knocked out. "Goodnight there pansy. See you tomorrow…if I feel like it."


	7. Deal with the Serpent

Chapter 7: Deal with the Serpent

"I'm not my brother's keepers. I care nothing for them!" "That's too bad. I was hoping to meet all three of you. I mean, I had to go through so much trouble scouting you guys out and provoking the Mizukage into sending his most trusted ninja squad to do this mission. "You mean to tell me all of that obvious ninja exposure was to get us here? What is that going to accomplish?" Asked Saito disgusted. " Saito got angry. "Just how long have you been spying me and my family freak?!" he asked. "Saito, stop letting your brothers hold you back. Your brother Zin is a burden and your brother Rain is much too kind. You and I know that you should be the heir of your families Kekki-Genkai. I can help you achieve the greatness you want." "Bull, it's not like you can steal Kekki-Genkai from someone else." "Oh, but I can" said Orochimaru. "As you may or may not know, I am on a mission to learn the entire world's jutsu and gain all power over all the great clans of the ninja world. Naturally, obtaining a few extra Kekki-Genkai is in my best interest." "And you want to give my families all to me? That's very thoughtful of you" said Saito, which obvious sarcasm in his voice. "You still don't believe me? Well that's your problem. Well, I might as well kill you then. After all, you don't have the Kekki-Genkai anyway and refusing a gesture of friendship is very rude. But why don't you just hang around a bit and think it over. But don't leave this village. If you do, you will be executed on sight. You are dismissed Saito." Saito rose up. He didn't trust Orochimaru much, but he still trusted that he possibly meant what he said. Saito left and closed the door on the way out. Once he was gone, Dosu, another Sound Ninja crept out from the shadows. "You know there's no way to take Kekki-Genkai. You think he's going to fall for your obvious lie?" said Dosu. "Whether he believes the lie or not, the fact of the matter remains. The only thing Saito Ermaki cares about is he and vengeance. I have no doubt he'll reel in the other Ermaki brothers.

Saito left and went into the thoroughfare of the Sound Village deep in thought. What if he could steal Kekki-Genkai? It's currently thought impossible, but with him, you never knew. It could be possible that if Orochimaru was correct and could really give him the Kekki-Genkai, he would just kill him anyway and take it back. Saito stopped for a second and saw a kunoichi slip away, thinking no one saw her. "Suspicious" said Saito out loud. "Hey, new guy, let's follow her" said another ninja as he walked beside him. "Who are you?" asked Saito. "My name's Zaku. That's my teammate Kin. She's been acting like this for a couple of days now. I wonder what's up myself." "I can't leave the village" responded Saito. "Aw, come on, no one's looking and I won't tattle on you. We are not the jerks you always hear about" said Zaku with a smile. "Whatever" said Saito, not totally convinced. Nevertheless, both men silently followed Kin.

Kin must have not have suspected anyone following her because she made no effort to cover her tracks or try to lose her pursuers. "Does she always eat way out here?" asked Saito. "She's a loner really. She always eats by herself and doesn't really talk to anyone. In fact, I've never seen her so happy. She's usually always wearing a sneer on her face." "She's stopped!" said Saito in a hushed voice. They hid in a leafy tree and observed Kin. "Rain, are you here?" she asked aloud. "Rain!?" cried Saito, almost blowing their cover. Zaku covered his mouth. "You're brother. Why isn't he with you? Didn't you have a brother named Zin also?" asked Zaku. Saito didn't answer but he pointed back to Kin. Rain was seen walking out slowly. Did their eyes deceive them? Were they…happy to see one another? "You're kidding me? This is rich. It's hilarious!" said Zaku, almost being to loud as. "Maybe she's just leading him on?" asked Saito with obvious malice at the sight of Rain. "Nah man, look at her. Her eyes are alive. She has joy. I mean look! She cooked him a meal. I didn't know she could cook. She always either eats out or mooches off Dosu's and my food. "I think she's falling for your brother" said Zaku, still trying to hold off laughter. "That little…he irritates me! I'm going to kill him!" said Saito in a hushed yell. Saito's bitterness came from the fact that Rain's benevolent nature made him popular with people, especially girls. Even Zin got a lot of attention from people. Rain was too noble to really get involved with anyone. Saito however, was usually overlooked. This added more to Saito's resentment of his brothers. So all Saito usually did was spend long hours training. That propelled him up the ranks quickly, but still, he couldn't match up to the people's fascination of Zin and Rain's powers of the Kekki-Genkai. The people really loved them, but not him. Saito was always left to himself, his bitterness turning him more and more into a malicious being. "I've seen that look before" said Zaku bringing him back to reality. Don't tell me, he stole your girlfriend or something?" "I've seen enough!" growled Saito. He leaped off in rage. Zaku took a moment to observe Kin and Rain longer.

"What are you going to do Rain? You are completely well. I mean, I guess this means we are going to be enemies again" said Kin sadly.

"We have to do what we have to Kin. Tomorrow, I'm going to start my mission again. I have to do my duty and so do you. Kin, if you and I meet in battle…"

"I don't want to! You're the first cool guy I've ever met!" said Kin defiantly.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true" chuckled Rain. "By the way, I have something for you. You know, to thank you for taking care of me these last few days. Rain took out two things. One was a beautiful ribbon that was embroidered with doves. The other one was what appeared to be a paper rose. "My mom used to make clothing and ribbons. We used to be one of the better off families in my village until we lost our shop and first home in a bad flood. This was the last gift she gave me before…she did that terrible thing. Oh, and I made this rose for you out of the extra pages in my notebook and colored it with the plants around here." Kin blushed as she accepted the gifts. "Th...Thank you. I'm not used to getting gifts from people." There was a long period of silence as Kin and Rain looked into each others eyes. Neither knew what to believe or do. They have only known each other for a few days, but there was no doubt something was there. And both wished in their hearts that they could spend more time with each other. "I guess I better be going then" said Rain softly. He prepared to run off, when Kin fiercely held onto his hand and wouldn't let go. Rain looked back, but her head was down, her eyes hidden by her bangs. "Kin don't make this harder then it has to be. Come on, it will be okay. Just do your duty if and when that time comes. You can't act like this on missions or in war. You just won't get nice guys like me all the time" said Rain with a grin, obliviously moved by his own flattery. Kin simply yanked Rain near her and he fell back into her arms. She embraced him and kissed him. It took a moment for Rain to recover from the shock afterward. It took Zaku even longer to get over the shock. "And she wouldn't even dance with me at the village's summer picnic last year!" he said in disappointment. He forced himself to look back. Kin slapped Rain hard and ran away crying. Rain stood there for a moment longer and he too ran off in the opposite direction, no doubt to prepare himself for his mission. "Well, I better report this to the Big Guy" said Zaku as he stretched. "No need to tell me anything" said a familiar voice behind him. Zaku was so surprised; he nearly fell out of the tree. "I hate it when you do that!" complained Zaku. "Well what do you think, Lord Orochimaru?" "I think this is absolutely delicious" he said with an evil smirk. And look, we made a new friend" announced Orochimaru as he motioned behind him. Saito came out wearing the same sour look. "Let's do this" he said lowly.


	8. Broken Hearts, Broken Bodies

Chapter 8: Broken Hearts, Broken Bodies

It was late in the evening now and it was time to go to work. Rain of course was very well rested. He tried to keep his mind on his research, but he couldn't shake Kin out of his mind. The thought of him continuing this mission was killing her inside. They spent nearly a week together and during the times when Rain was awake, Kin and he talked for hours. It was foolish for Rain to let his guard down so much, but for some reason, he believed Kin's comments and gestures were sincere, or at least he hoped they were. Rain shook his head in anger. "Stop!" he told himself. "There's no way…" This was getting harder to do then he thought, but he had to do his duty. His village could be in danger. After a couple of hours work, Rain had things all figured out. He knew exactly where he would enter in and escape. The only one thing was troubling him. During the two days he had been staking out the village, no villager ever mentioned anything about the Mist Village, even in conversation. No ninja ever seemed to be preparing for any mission at all. No matter where he listened or spied, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Rain figured he would have to do some infiltration of the very heart of the village and try to find some documentation or something, but that would require even more planning and caution, considering he was by himself, he had no other leads, and his brother was still at large. In training, Saito was the one who excelled at information gathering and espionage obviously. Rain was actually the worst one at gathering information. Rain figured interrogation might be the best way for this to happen, but what would Kin think? Rain once again got angry at himself. "Hmm, maybe I just need to take a break" said Rain while sighing to himself.

Kin was visiting Dosu's place as usual for dinner. She eventually spent the night. He went to check up on her. He caught her drawing something half concealed in her hammock. "Hey, what do you have there?" asked Dosu, being nosy. "Uhh, nothing, I'm just writing some poetry" replied Kin with a nervous laugh. "No really, what are you drawing? Is it a funny picture of Orochimaru?" he sauntered over to take a peek at Kin's picture. "Hey, go away. This is private!" cried Kin. She quickly ran away. She looked back to see if Dosu was still following, which he wasn't. Once she exited his house, she ran into someone. She dropped her picture and fell down. While she was trying to shake out the cobwebs, her picture was picked up by the very person she ran into. "Hey, that's mine!" she protested but quickly silenced herself in fear. Orochimaru and Saito were right in front of her. Kin figured it was Saito from the descriptions she got from Rain. "Uh…I can explain" she said nervously. "My brother huh? You are a good artist" said Saito coldly. Zaku and Dosu joined in the surrounding of Kin. She saw all the solemn looks in her eyes and she knew she was in trouble. "I have a couple of questions about your boyfriend Kin" said Orochimaru as they all closed in on her.

Rain was very cold. His own shivering woke him up. How long was he asleep? He looked up at the sky. It was looking somewhat stormy. "That's a good sign if things get hairy" said Rain to himself. If it rained, he could use a unique jutsu to blend in with the raindrops since it was night. If there was wind, he could manipulate the winds for gusts. And if there was lightning, the real magic could happen. He wasn't really sure what to do, but Rain decided to take action and was hoping for the best. He put on some darker and lighter clothing and prepared to head out. Rain silently made his way to the village, but he made one quick stop by the place where he first met Kin. It was strange, but being there calmed him down quite a bit. He heard some noise near him. He jumped into some tall grass and hid himself. Despite not being good at recon, he was very good at camouflaging himself. He loaded a poisoned kunai into his crossbow and waited for what ever was coming his way. When the person manifested themselves, Rain was surprised. It was Kin? Not good. "Rain, are you here? Please answer me" Kin was in her nightgown. Why was she out here? Something wasn't right. Kin called out again and looked to the right. Rain was coming out to meet her. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "Don't go Rain. Please don't do this" "Kin, we went through this already. "You are going to force me to take action. Now stay here. Don't do anything dumb." However, Kin refused to let go and she wouldn't make eye contact. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Look at me Kin!" Rain forced her to look at him. He gasped when he saw her. He saw her vacant, glassy eyes. "NO!!" he cried. He heard it coming. He quickly pried Kin off of him and threw her away, just as the vicious sound attack collided with Rain. Zaku quickly jumped out thinking his attack hit Rain, but what surprised him was when Rain's body melted away. "A water clone!" he cried out. He was even more surprised when a kunai planted itself into his body, nearly missing his heart by inches. The attack was silent but it was obvious that the knife was launched not thrown. Hidden away, Rain heard another attack coming his way. He quickly scurried out of the way just as another attack pulverized the plants he was hiding in. Sound attacks were devastating, but having such good senses put Rain at an advantage when it came to anticipating and avoiding the blows. On the flipside, if he did get hit by a sound attack, it would be twice as devastating, perhaps even fatal. The thing that worried him was the location of his brother. After all, he could tell Kin was under the influence of the thoughtless dream jutsu. It was clear that Saito must have betrayed the Mist Village and joined Orochimaru's Sound Ninja. Not good at all. Rain was exposed now and he clearly saw there were two ninja charging toward him. The injured ninja already extracted the knife and he was breathing heavy from his wound. It was likely that he had a significant injury, so he might not be as dangerous as before. In a rage, he picked up Kin and held his hand to her as she tried to get away. From what Rain observed, those arms had something to do with his previous attack. Instinctively, Rain rushed forward and nimbly avoided another attack by the other ninja. He then landed a heavy dropkick on the speaker-like contraptions on his arms, which caused it to malfunction. After another kick to the back of his head, Rain dashed forward quickly. Zaku aimed the arm at him now and fired another attack. Rain barely avoided another hit from the sound blast. He took cover and loaded another bolt into his crossbow. This guy was apparently using Kin not only as a human shield, but also as bait, yet he was a sound ninja himself. He peeked out from his cover and fired the bolt. Zaku saw him and tried to put Kin in front to intercept the arrow, but to his surprised, the tip of the arrow, exploded and out flew a red tarp instead. It wasn't very big but it was enough to cover both Zaku and Kin and cause some confusion. When Zaku ripped it off, Rain was already right by him. He managed to grab Zaku and hip toss him away from Kin. He then took Kin into his arms and quickly ran away. He knew that the she wasn't in her right mind right now and she was being cruelly used as an instrument to get to him. She didn't deserve this. The village found out about them and they were using Kin to get to him. Forget recon. This was now personal. It was hard from Rain to move through the forest with Kin in his arms, but he ignored his burning and aching muscles and continued forward. He found a small opening underneath a rotting log and hid underneath them. Kin was trying to make a scene, obviously the works of Saito trying to find them. Rain covered her mouth and pulled out some smelling salts. This would hopefully force her out of sleep. That did the trick. After she was finished gasping for breath, Kin came to. "Rain? Oh my goodness, Rain. I'm so sorry" whimpered Kin as she held Rain close. "Stay here" commanded Rain. "I need to take care of this" "Rain, you're side! It's a paper bomb!" she cried. Rain looked to his side and his beheld in shock. Zaku must have planted a paper bomb on him. He quickly moved away from Kin just as it went off. Rain's disturbing cry of pain was heard throughout the entire area.


	9. Alone Again

Chapter 9: Alone again

Rain was desperately gasping for breath. He dared to look at his hand that was clutching his mutilated and burned side. The sight of blood enraged him. Kin tried to come to his aid. "Stay there!" commanded Rain, but Kin ignored him. Rain nearly collapsed again. Kin picked him up on his uninjured side and was dragging him through the forest now. She could hear Zaku and Dosu following them. She was also sure that Saito was with them too. Rain was wheezing now and his expression was absent. He was fading away from his terrible injury. "Water…take me to water…" said Rain quickly. Kin remembered that near their special spot was a small pond and they were following the stream leading to a waterfall. Kin remembered that Rain demonstrated his ability to manipulate water. Perhaps he could turn the tide if he could do use his water attacks. They reached the rapids leading to the waterfall. "We are here Rain. Don't worry. I won't let them get you" she said as she dragged Rain. But no sooner then the words left her lips that she felt a stabbing pain in her calf. The pain made her drop Rain right into the rapids. She looked back and saw the shuriken sticking out of her leg. She also noticed the three ninja now approaching her. Zaku and Dosu held up their hands. "Enough Kin. You did enough. Just let us take you home already. This is between Lord Orochimaru, Rain and Saito." "You…you didn't even care about me!" yelled Kin. "Shut up! It's your fault. You're lucky that's all that happened to you after you nearly betrayed the village" scolded Dosu. "You should be kissing Orochimaru's feet for sparing you" Kin wanted to argue back, but she knew it was no good. After all, she knew that what she did was wrong. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she did aid an enemy ninja. She was about to get up when she heard bubbling water behind her. She looked back and saw Rain jump out of the water and stand on it. "WATER DRAGON JUTSU!" he cried. He did some complicated hand signs and with a brilliant show of skill, a water dragon came up from the rapids and crashed right into Zaku and Dosu. They tried to stop it with sound attacks but to no avail. The force of the attack knocked them out. By this time, the winds were picking up. With it being windy and having a good source of water nearby, Rain would have his water and wind techniques at the ready. However, there was the problem of his still injured side. He was about to wrap it up when he saw the pale silhouette sneaking up on him. Rain ducked the blow aimed at his neck and gave the assailant one strong attack to his ribs. It was Saito. He tried to use invisibility to sneak up on Rain. Saito must have been counting on Rain being distracted by Kin and his injuries. Rain tried to continue the attacks but he was much too slow. Saito struck Rain's injured side again and a disturbing look of pain appeared on Rain's face. That single blow was too much. Saito then grabbed Rain by his shirt and grabbed his eyes. "Veil of Darkness!" announced Saito. Kin took note of black waves transferring from Saito's hands and going onto Rain's eyes, who was crying in more pain. When it was finished, Rain was covering his eyes as if they were injured. Saito took this opportunity to beat Rain down. Kin was tired of this. She had to do something. She tried to attack Saito but he punched her hard in the stomach. "You were told to stay out of this" said Saito as he lifted Kin and cruelly slapped her hard. Kin's interference was enough. Despite his pain, Rain made one last hand sign. "Dragon's Rage jutsu!" The winds picked up immensely and made a twister over water. Using his chakra, wind, and water, Rain made a water twister. Saito was caught in it. Although he only saw darkness Rain knew the attack hit its mark. He couldn't see at all, but based on the scuffle between Saito and Kin, he had an idea of who was where. Kin did avoid the attack. Saito was thrown against a tree and he grunted in pain. He was down for now. Kin was overjoyed. Rain had done it. She looked back and saw him fall down and sink below the water. Without thinking, Kin ran to him and jumped into the water. She was wearing her pajamas so the icy water was already stinging her. She saw Rain sinking and swam hard to reach him, but the water was moving too fast. It was hard for her to even control her own swimming. She saw that Rain was caught by a root and was stuck under water. He appeared unconscious. She pulled herself out of the water using a rough rock and ran over to Rain as fast as she could. She grabbed him and tried to pull but he was stuck. She couldn't get him out. Kin was getting desperate at this point. She went underwater again and unloosed his caught leg. With all her might she pulled Rain's waterlogged and limp body out. He wasn't breathing. "Wake up! What are you doing? Wake up! Please wake up!" Kin pounded Rain's chest in an attempt to wake him up. Kin refused to let it end like this. She continued first aid. When Rain came to and coughed up water, Kin finally exhaled. Rain weakly lifted up an arm. Kin grasped it and led it to her face. "You are so cold. You fool. You'll get sick" scolded Rain. "You idiot! I just saved you and that's all you have to say!" yelled Kin, genuinely angry. Rain let go of her face and while his hand dropped, it trekked down her body, feeling up her figure. "What happened to your eyes?!" exclaimed Kin. Rain's eyes were opened, but they were pitch black. They were litterly like black marbles in his eye sockets. "My brother…I can't see a thing. He has taken away my sight." Rain sighed. "Come on! I will be your eyes. We can make it." Kin said as she attempted to lift Rain up again. "Give it up" commanded Rain as he pushed her away. "What? What are you saying?" asked Kin angrily. "We are being watched. It's most likely Orochimaru himself. He most likely knows that my blindness is permanent and that I will refuse to join him. There's only one thing left to do." "What is it? Just spit it out!" replied Kin. "Throw me off the cliff. I am going to pretend to try to run away. You have to throw me off the cliff. Hopefully that would convince him that you killed me and you will be spared further punishment. "No! I won't do it." "Too bad. I'm not leaving you much of a choice. I will attack you Kin! I can still hear any sound you make and can still smell you. I can still find you, so do it" said Rain in a hushed yell. It took a lot of effort, but he picked himself up and stumbled away. Kin was dumbfounded. There was no other way. She had to do it. She pursued Rain to the nearby edge of the cliff and with a round house kick; she caused him to fall off the edge. Rain caught the edge of the cliff and was dangling off the side. Kin joined him at the edge and saw him inches from his watery grave. "I…I love you Kin. Be a good girl and grow strong" said Rain while a tear crept out of his ebony eyes. He reached into his satchel and handed Kin a soggy piece of paper. He then lost his grip and he fell down the waterfall. Kin knew that there were sharp rocks at the bottom. Rain would surely die. For what seemed like forever she just stared at the waterfall watching him drop. Even when he disappeared, she couldn't look away. Orochimaru and Saito came by her and looked down. "You think he survived?" asked Orochimaru to Saito. "I won't be satisfied until I have his head as a trophy!" growled Saito. "I'm going to look for his body!" "We'll leave that until later. I'm feeling quite tired and I'm sure our star is too" said Orochimaru as he turned around. He patted Kin's head and beckoned her to return. Kin looked into his eyes as he passed her. They were so passive. Rain's death didn't faze him at all. Kin was too tired, too sad, to be angry. In the morning, things would be back to normal. Orochimaru would likely not do anything to her. He already knew Kin was tortured enough. Dosu and Zaku came to also and joined Saito and Orochimaru on the trip back to the village. Kin took a moment to look at the paper Rain gave her. It was a pencil drawing. Most of it had been destroyed but Kin could still make out the picture. It was a picture of Rain and Kin sitting together in each other's arms looking at the moonlight. It was the same scene just a couple of days before all of this happened. Just like her, Rain was a decent artist. Kin held the sketch close to her and wept further. She felt that familiar hole in her heart returning and Rain's memories were not nearly enough to fill it.


	10. Reunion

Chapter 10: Reunion

Rain felt warm sunlight on him. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a grassy sunny field. There wasn't a single person or thing in sight, just endless meadows. He slowly got up, feeling confused about his surroundings. "But, I lost my sight…" said Rain to himself. "Kin! Kin, are you here? Kin, please answer!" cried Rain as he looked around. There was no answer. "Drat! If anyone is there, answer me!" "Don't shout so loud Raincloud, I'm right here" said a voice to the right of Rain. He gasped and turned toward the voice. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Haku…" His long lost friend stood in front of him wearing a white robe. He smiled that nostalgic, toothy grin. "Haku…" said Rain again with tears welling up in his eyes. He ran to Haku and embraced him tightly. "Haku…" cried Rain while Haku returned the embrace and put his head on Rain's shoulder.

"Haku, where am I? Did you bring me here?" asked Rain as both young men walked side by side. "You are in the realm between life and death. I brought you here so we could talk a bit" replied Haku. "Life and death? You mean…" "No, not yet. Right now, you're body is resting by a shallow pool of water near the village of Konoha. You are passed out and half dead. Your life is currently leaving your body." "I'm dying? I can't die yet! My village…Kin…" gasped Rain. "Don't worry about the mission Raincloud" assured Haku. "The village has already sent out tracker ninja. They found Zin's grave. Both you are Saito were not found and are presumed dead. Currently, those tracker ninja are still looking for you two to finish disposing of your bodies. "Zin? Haku, is Zin here too?" asked Rain. "Zin has already passed on. He's happy Raincloud. He wanted me to tell you thank you and he is proud of his big brother" "He said that huh?" replied Rain. "I'm going to die. Am I right Haku?" asked Rain after a long silence. "You are going to survive Raincloud. You have no need to die now" said Haku. "But why? My body has drifted into another village's territory. The Leaf ninja are among the kindest ninja, but that doesn't mean that they won't kill me off anyway or interrogate me. Besides, I've lost my sight. Even with my senses, it will be hard for me to fight off enemies or even get back home." "Is my Raincloud giving up? I don't remember such words being in the Dream Ninja's vocabulary" said Haku as he took Rain's hand in his. Rain looked at Haku again. Just like before, he was so pure, so innocent. Why did he have to be taken away from him? "How long?" asked Rain. "What?" replied Haku. "I mean…how long have you been…" "Oh, that. Long enough Raincloud. I'm already forgotten and gone. You still have to live Raincloud, for mine and Zin's sake." Haku let go of Rain's hand and turned away. "It was in a battle with Konoha shinobi that I and Zabuza lost our lives. Four of them: Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto. If you meet these ninja, please don't be mad at them. Those four helped me and Zabuza find peace. Even Zabuza found redemption. Maybe they can help you too" "I don't understand Haku. What do you mean?" asked Rain as he fell on all fours, frustrated by Haku's enigmatic words. "I just need you to do one thing for me" asked Haku as he knelt down and embraced Rain again. "I need you to wake up. Return to the world of the living" At those words, Rain's reality was becoming distorted and fuzzy. He knew he was coming to back on Earth. "No, wait! Haku!" pleaded Rain. "It was wonderful to see you again, my friend. I'll see you someday" "HAKU!!!" yelled Rain right before the world went black all over again.

Suddenly, Rain was choking. He thrashed and rose above the water, gasping for breath. He was washed ashore, but he once again couldn't see where he was going. He sensed a young girl working out near the beach. Rain slowly crawled toward her. She seemly had not noticed him yet. He reached out blindly and found her leg. "Help me" pleaded Rain weakly before he collapsed.

Hinata Hyuuga looked down with shock and saw the beaten, empty eyed body at her feet and screamed her loudest. Within moments, her teammates Shino and Kiba, as well as their leader, Kuranai came to her aid. They were just as surprised as Hinata at the find.

Miles away, Saito was still searching for Rain like a madman. "Where are you?!" he cried to the wind. "You couldn't have that far. I'll find you. You cannot squirm your way out of this one." Saito continued to sweep the area, latterly leaving no stone unturned. A group of ninja noticed Saito on his search. It was the tracker ninja from the Mist Village. "Saito? We thought you were dead. Where's Rain?" asked the leader as they joined Saito down on the ground. "I'm searching for him myself. I plan to destroy him as soon as I set my sights on him" answered Saito as he stood still. "What are you talking about?" asked the leader again. "Rain's already dead. He just doesn't know it yet. You however, are about to leave this mortal coil!" roared Saito as he turned around. All the ninja were shocked at his monstrous appearance. Black stripes covered Saito's body and he was emitting an aura filled with malice. "Saito! Wait!" pleaded the ninja, but to no avail. Saito slaughtered them without mercy. "That mark of yours does good work Orochimaru" said Saito with an evil smile as he continued his search.


	11. Interrogation

Chapter 11: Interrogation

Rain came to, and once again, a world of blackness greeted him. "Curses. Still can't see" grumbled Rain to himself. Rain turned to the right and heard someone shuffling away. Rain guessed it might have been a guard alerting the rest that he has awakened. By the musty smell and humid air, not to mention the slight putrid smell, Rain guessed he was in a prison cell. Rain felt his way around the cell and knocked over a metallic plate of some sorts. Rain bent down and found some meager food rations. Rain wolfed them down. They tasted plain but it was okay. Rain sat in a corner and held his head down. It wasn't long before Rain heard heavier steps headed his way. He lifted his head when a deep, commanding voice called out to him. "What is your name Mist Ninja" Rain looked ahead with lazy eyes. "Rain" was the short answer the guard was given. "Are you going to give me trouble Rain?" asked the proctor again. "No" said Rain softly. "My name is Ibuki and this is Hayate over here. Do you know where you are?" "I'm in the village of Konoha." "Good, now what are you doing here. You look terrible. I'm sure you are not here on accident. What does the Mist Village have to do with us?" "Nothing" replied Rain without emotion. "Lying are you? You realize that several Mist ninja corpses floated downstream shortly after you did?" argued Ibuki back. Rain gasped. Were those the tracker ninja that Haku told him about? Could Saito have been the one who killed them? If that was so, he may have already known he was here. "Saito!" cried Rain as he rushed forward and started pulling on the bars. Rain's hands were struck with a wooden club and Rain withdrew. "Calm down. Who's Saito?" "Wait! Saito? Rain?" said the other voice. "Ibuki, I think we are dealing with the Ermaki clan here!" said the other voice. "The super-sensed ninjas from Mist? I thought they were all dead?" asked Ibuki. "We better tell this to the Hokage" replied Hayate. Both men ran off, ignoring Rain's pleadings to listen to him. Hayate and Ibuki chatted for a bit on their way to report to the Kage. "Did you see his eyes?" asked Hayate. "Yeah, I recognize that condition. He has been inflicted with the Veil of Darkness. A technique developed and made famous by Saito Ermaki. "So do you think his babblings about Saito coming here as we left might be legit?" "Not sure. The Mist Village has no dealings or quarrels with our village and I can't think of many reasons why they would be interested in us." "Could it be a trap of some kind? Think that the veil was put on him to gain sympathy perhaps?" asked Hayate. "Not likely. That blindness inflicted by that technique is permanent. To an Ermaki, losing any sense is disastrous. Even for spying, doing that to a member of their own clan is cruel and stupid." "Well, let's see what the leader says" said Hayate as both men approached the Kage's quarters.

Frustrated, Rain retreated to his corner again and wept. He felt his headband. He was so proud when he finally got one. It was meaningless now. There was no point in fighting the Leaf Ninja. There was no hope for survival. There was no chance of reuniting with Kin. Rain untied his headband and put it over his eyes like a blindfold. This was the second time in a month that he had been captured. The first time, he made a friend. This time however, he wouldn't be so lucky, nor did it matter to him. It seemed like days before he received contact again. "Rain Ermaki, the Kage wants to see you. Don't try anything dumb. You are being escorted by Six Anbu's as well as me. Behave and things may go well for you. Rain didn't reply or move, even when his cell was opened. He was bound and taken on either arm and was led away. Throughout the trip, he didn't utter a word. He was told to sit and felt hot lights on him. He guessed he was in the Kage's quarters. He could sense many people around him. He endured hours of questioning. They were rough with him. He was even struck a couple of times. After it was over, no progress was made. To Rain's surprise though, the Kage decided not to send him back to his cell. Instead he would be given a room (guarded of course). Rain was guessing that even the Kage could see that Rain had no intention of doing anything. He told him everything that had happened to him over the last month. He was told that the village of Mist would be notified of him and he would be turned over to them. In the mean time, he was going to be put under constant surveillance. The village had no intentions of doing anything to cross the Mizukage. Most likely, it would take a week or two for all this to come to pass. Personally, Rain figured that he would be treated as a failure and maybe even put in prison for the mission. The Mist village wasn't very kind to ninja who failed assignments.


	12. Rain and Sunshine

Chapter 12: Rain and Sunshine

Even though Rain was allowed to come and go as he pleased with his escorts, he never left his hut. There was something that Rain wished to do once more though. At night, he loved to sit out late and watch the bright, starry sky, all the while dreaming of a better day. Zin would often join him if he could stay up. Rain would tell Zin all the folklore surrounding the skies. Suddenly, he remembered doing the same thing with Kin not that long ago. Rain spaced out for a minute or two. He was shocked when he felt tears running down his face. At that moment, Saito's face flashed in his mind. The tears of sorrow now turned into rage. "Why?" asked Rain himself as he started to become overtaken with rage. It kept on festering in him until before long, he snapped. He was about to make a blind rampage, before he heard the door opening, breaking the spell of hatred on him. "Rain, you have a visitor. This young girl wants to visit you." Rain looked in the direction of the voice. A visitor? A young girl? "Make it quick Hinata. Don't worry, I'll be right here in the room with you" Rain heard the girl's humble acknowledgement. From the sound of the voices, Rain guessed that Hayate, from the prison was the guard and that girl who was here may have been the same one who he grabbed when he washed ashore. Rain simply stood still, not knowing what to expect. He sensed the girl near. "Your eyes are so empty and are filled with pain. You are…just like me." "I doubt that" said Rain plainly. "Hayate says that you haven't left the hut and you haven't been eating. Here I brought you something I made myself" Hinata opened something and took out some rice cakes." "Why are you bothering?" asked Rain, who despite his cold demeanor was actually touched by Hinata's charity. "Come on, take it." encouraged Hinata. Rain accepted the offer and ate the cake quietly. "Your name is Rain right? That's an unusual name, but it's pretty. Why are you called Rain?" asked Hinata. Rain heard her sipping from a canteen. He guessed it was water. "This is why" he said as he held his hand out. He directed his chakra toward where Hinata was and found the liquid in her canteen. She gasped and dropped it, but the water, instead of splashing down, instead snaked up into the air and found its way to Rain's waiting hand. He could hear Hayate's surprise too. Rain molded the water into a liquid orb in his palm and it rose up. Then in the air, Rain spread it out and released his hold on it, making the water fall down as if it was raining indoors. Using my chakra, I can manipulate water, wind, and lighting too as long as I'm wearing my special, protective gear. That's why they call me the Storm Ninja. Rain found himself smiling for the first time in a while. "Hinata, times up" announced Hayate. Hinata groaned in complaint, but obliged. "Mister Rain, you should really go outside sometime. Don't let those eyes keep you from enjoying the world. If you could see my eyes, they are pale. I like your eyes, so you shouldn't hide behind that headband." Hinata walked out, leaving Rain and Hayate alone. "I guess its true then. Rain Ermaki is really a freak of nature" added Hayate, risking teasing humor. Rain only smiled in response. "You're very lucky. Hinata doesn't usually warm up to anyone like that. It seems she has taken a special liking to you Rain. She's been checking on you every day." Rain looked down, deep in thought. "Do you know what her name means? It means sunny place. I think Hinata wants your light to shine through those ebony eyes of yours. I may not know much about you Rain, but honestly, you are a lot different from many other ninja I have met. You seem…kind. That's a trait many of us cannot afford in the world we live in. There was a moment of pause. "Tell me truly, what are you doing here?" asked Hayate. "I told you already. I was sent by my village to spy on Sound. I feel over a waterfall, but had the water save me. But I was so hurt, I simply drifted here." "But the dead ninja…" "I'm certain that Saito is behind that. My brother, driven by jealously and hatred has betrayed our village. If he knows I'm here, I need to leave right away." "You're going to be extradited back to your village. You cannot leave on your own accord. "Then I pity this village if he and Sound decides to move. If you know me, then you must know Saito. Anyone can be his victim, no matter how strong they are if they are sleeping." "Yeah, I do know, but what are we supposed to do?" "I guess that's up to your Kage, isn't it. There's nothing I can do now" Hayate was just about to respond when the next shift guard arrived. Hayate's guard duty was over. He looked at Rain one more time and left without another word.


	13. Good night Rain

Chapter 13: Good night, Rain

Unbeknownst to Rain and the others, Saito was already in the village, concealing himself to avoid detection. Orochimaru let Saito to his own things as so long he wouldn't make known his connection to the Sound Village. Orochimaru said he did have some plans for the Leaf Village, but it was far too early to put them in motion. Besides, it would give Orochimaru another chance to experiment with his resources and weaken the village. Saito spent nearly the whole time in the village seeing how Rain was being treated, who saw him most often and how others viewed him. Saito was very amazed how Rain was making out. He wasn't being treated like a prisoner at all. In fact, after a particular visit from some girl named Hinata, Rain started to walk around the village with escorts. All the while, he made no attempt to run away. Hinata was always with him, being his guide. At first the villagers were of course, scared of Rain and wouldn't be too kind to him, but with Hinata's and Hayate's encouragement, Rain's treatment got better. In fact, Rain occasionally entertained the people with his jutsu. Saito was filled with so much hate, even more then before. Even in enemy villages, his brother was treated well. He was looking forward to Rain being executed back home, since Saito already made it so that Rain would be responsible for the crimes and would even fake his own death so that there was no chance he would be considered as suspect. But now, that wasn't enough. He would now make Rain suffer more and he would also make this village suffer for showing Rain kindness. He decided to start with Hinata.

Rain was dreaming. He could see and he was back home. Strangely, Hayate and Hinata were there. Of course, Rain has never saw Hayate's and Hinata's faces, so he only saw what he imagined though. In a rare private moment, Hinata let Rain touch her face. It was at that time, that Rain felt he had bonded with this young girl, only a few years younger then him. For some reason, Hinata made Rain feel he counted again. Before, he gave up on life. But with her and Hayate's companionship, Rain regained his composure and even made a vow to see Kin one day, maybe even take her away from the cruel Sound Village. He would not let his blindness stop him. Ever since being inflicted with the Veil of Darkness, Rain's other senses were evolving at a frightening pace, practically reaching the level of Zin's. It would be a long time before he learned how to fight blind, but at the rate he was going, he may be able to get around just fine. In fact, he learned how to use his long lost whistling talent as a form of primitive echo-location. Hayate, with the Kage's permission, even helped Rain in training so that Rain polished his ability to move and evade enemy attacks, simply by using smell and hearing. In response to Rains concern of Saito, Hayate also proposed a special whistle if he was spotted. Rain was even more supervised now, not just because of he becoming a possible bigger threat, but more so of a curiosity. There was one ninja who wanted to see Rain really badly. He had to know if he was connected to that young man. He managed to track Rain while he was training with Hayate again. He looked sharply at Rain's headband, which was still over his eyes. "It's true" said Naruto Uzumaki to himself. "He's from the same area as Haku." To Naruto's and Hayate's surprise, Rain heard Naruto and made a beeline to his direction. Before Naruto could scramble up and run, Rain already intercepted him. Hayate rushed forward too, weapon drawn, not knowing how Rain was going to react. "You said Haku. What do you know about him?" asked Rain with a stern look on his face. "Rain, calm down" commanded Hayate. "Don't worry Hayate. I just need to know. I won't do anything" assured Rain. "You knew Haku? That ninja who traveled with Zabuza?" asked Naruto. "Know him? He and I grew up together. I've been looking for him for years." "He's…dead" said Naruto softly. Rain gasped. "You were the one, are you?" asked Rain as he slouched. "No, it was Kakashi-sensei. We had to do it. I didn't want to, but Haku died trying to protect Zabuza. He wouldn't listen to me." "Slow down. I've heard enough" said Rain as he turned and tightened his fists in anger. "I'm sorry. I was hoping it didn't have to work out that way" said Naruto humbly. "When Hinata told me that she had been hanging out with a Mist Ninja, I had to see if you knew him" "Thank you young man. I'm glad I was able to meet you." Rain walked off. "Thank you for taking care of Haku" "Rain, wait" asked Hayate as he jogged to him. "It's getting late. Why don't I treat you and Naruto to some ramen? "It's your last night in the village after all." Naruto was trilled at the idea. Rain looked up for a second. He took off the headband from his eyes and opened them wide. The air seemed damp and heavy. "I am a little hungry" he said with a smile. "Let's go."

After a hearty meal, Hayate escorted Rain back to his hut and went home while Naruto headed home himself. Hayate was about to head into his house to get ready for late guard duty for the night when he thought he saw someone sneaking off to the Hyuuga residence. The activity looked suspicious. Hayate was glad he still had his sword with him. He leaped off and rushed into the night.

Saito Ermaki, ever so quietly, found his way by Hinata Hyuuga's window. He thoroughly inspected the place and found that no one was awake. The time was now. "Good night Rain. Hello sweet little Hinata" said Saito with a wicked grin on his face.


	14. Lightning Strikes Twice

Chapter 14: Lightning Strikes Twice

In a wicked attempt to kidnap Hinata for Orochimaru and also use her to get to Rain, Saito prepared to use the Thoughtless Dreams Jutsu. With it, he would invade her mind and use her as his tool. Her powers would be his. But Rain was interrupted when he heard someone swooping down and him. He nimbly dodged the attack. Hayate gasped when he saw the attacker. "You…you're Saito Ermaki!" Hayate put his fingers in his mouth and blew a loud shrill whistle. He was sure that Rain heard it, for the Hyuuga residence was not far from Rain's hut. "You will have no chance to strike and before your friends will get here, I will be long gone and you will be dead." "Not friends, friend" said Hayate as he went into battle stance. Saito hit his fist together and claws shot out of his gloves. But then the thought occurred to him. That whistle was much higher then most normal whistles. And the mention of friend? No doubt about it. Rain was on his way. He took a look to the sky and noticed the stormy weather brewing. Not good. Hayate took the moment to attack first and cut Saito in his torso. Saito's cries of pain woke Hinata up and she went to the window. Saito jumped down and ran toward Rain's house. "Hinata! Stay in the house! If any of your family comes, tell them to come to the thoroughfare prepared to fight. Hinata nodded in response and closed the window. Hayate hotly pursued Saito. However, he lost sight of him. He sensed someone approaching and attempted to turn around to attack, but Hayate was fiercely attacked by a barrage of kicks, all compliments of Saito. Once Hayate fell, Saito was going to finish him off, when he saw his brother Rain drop down. He was unarmed, but Rain was very capable in taijutsu, when he wasn't using his weather attacks, he would often use his fists and legs for close combat. Saito quickly retreated into the shadows to try to take Rain out with a single stealth attack. "Hayate, stay quiet" commanded Rain. He tried to listen carefully, but Saito was being especially careful and quiet. Like Zabuza, Saito was very skilled at stealth kills. They were taught to him by his father, who was taught by Zabuza himself. Rain continued to stay still as he pulled a small bag out of his clothes. Still no trace of Saito. Rain then whistled loudly. In the calm evening with the area everyone was in, an echo was heard. "Got you!" cried Rain as he parrying Saito's strike with his palm, and then threw a fragrant powder all over Saito. With such a strong smell on him, Rain wouldn't lose Saito again. "You fool!" roared Saito who thrusted with his claws forward. Rain tried to invade, but he was impaled by the claws, which went clean through his body. "Oh no! Rain!" yelled Hayate. Clearly in pain with the undoubtedly fatal wound, Rain grabbed Saito's arm and threw him away. Saito recovered onto his feet, but Rain was ready as he rushed forward and amazingly found Saito's jaw and punched him hard. His destroyed torso burnt with an insane pain which made Rain drop. Rain was wondering when the rain would start. The Konoha sentries mentioned that there would be a good chance for stormy weather today. But it seemed that storm wouldn't come there way after all. Rain seemed Saito rushing forward again. After dodging another attack, Rain grabbed Saito's shoulders and lifted himself over him all the while keeping hold of him and launching him again. Saito flew straight into a pole. "He got thrown into an electrical pole. He's getting up Rain!" cried Hayate. "Electrical pole?" said Rain to himself. Rain whistled again to find the pole, leaped on it and climbed up. Saito finally found him. "You can't run Rain!" he yelled as he chased after Rain. Rain finally reached the top and slipped his old crossbow onto his arm. He then took out a kunai and pointed the crossbow at Saito. At the sight of Rain, he immediately figured out what Rain was planning. His eyes grew wide in shock and he tried to jump away. Rain took a blind shot using his grappling hook attachment. By luck it struck Saito in the shoulder and it kept him close to Rain. Rain then retracted the hook, pulling Saito along with it. Rain's hand found Saito's throat. "Brother, it's time for us to join our family in the afterlife. May we fight forever in Hades." With that said, Rain jammed his kunai into the electrical transformer and incredible amount electricity surged through both men. Normally, this wouldn't be so bad for Rain, but he didn't have his electrical armor. That was confiscated by the Leaf Ninja. Several lamps around the area blew up, finally bringing the other ninja into the thoroughfare. Even the most hardened ninja gasped at the sight in front of them. Finally both men fell down, their bodies smoldering. Rain's body wasn't moving. Amazingly though, Saito was stirring, laboring just to move. Before he could stand up though, Hayate rushed forward and with a clean swing, cut Saito down. All of the present Leaf Villagers rushed to check on Rain. He was still alive, his breathing very strained and obviously painful. "Thank you everyone" said Rain weakly. "Thank you…for saving me." At that moment, the rain finally started to fall, further irritating the already damaged transformer. A nearby villager shut the power off. The area was still lit though, as many villagers came out with lights. Rain opened his eyes, and he was shocked to find out he could see! The darkness covering his eyes was gone. "Hayate, do me a favor please" "Anything" said Hayate as he bent down, barely holding back tears. "You said the Chunnin exams were coming in a few months. In my hut, I have a ribbon binding a letter. It's that letter I asked you to help me write. If a woman named Kin Tsuchi comes to attend the exams, please..." Rain tried to get the rest of the words out, but he was too tired. He closed his eyes and fell asleep forever. Hayate leaned forward and took off Rain's headband. It was charred, but still intact. "No problem Rain. I'll take care of everything" said Hayate. His tears were disguised by the falling rain.


	15. Dearly Departed

Chapter 15: Dearly Departed

The next day, representatives from the Hidden Mist Village arrived to Konoha. The Kage presented them with Rain and Saito's corpses as well as the other tracker ninja bodies that washed near the village. At first, they were angry, accusing Konoha of dispensing the ninja themselves in an effort to gain something. After long talks however, the Mist Ninjas bought the story the Hokage gave them. All of the bodies were destroyed and everyone went their separate ways. Still saddened by Rain's death, Hinata and Naruto decided to have lunch together and talk things out. Just as they are leaving, Hinata sensed a strange presence. She used her Byakugan and looked around. At first nothing, but then, something seemed to be there. She couldn't quite make it out, but it was moving at it was in the shape of a human. It was moving toward her as well. Hinata was afraid and backed off. Seeing this, the bluish presence stopped its advance and disappeared. Hinata cautiously walked toward where it was and looked down. Written in the dirt was the word "Rain". "It can't be" said Hinata to herself. Naruto, wondering if Hinata was okay, went back to meet her. He saw the writing on the ground. "Miss him that much?" he asked, oblivious to what happened. "Um...yeah, I guess" responded Hinata, not caring to explain what she saw. "He was a great guy Hinata. Where ever he is, I'm sure he's doing just fine." "Yeah" agreed Hinata as she nodded her head. Both of them walked back to the village. All the while, Hinata sneaked in a big grin.

Back in the Sound Village, Kin woke up quickly, realizing that she had dozed off. What a strange dream. It was about Rain again. It has already been a week, but it seemed like forever. Orochimaru was very cross when news came back of Saito's death. When Kin learned that Rain too had died, she had a very miserable night, but didn't dare shed a single tear. Dosu and Zaku had been teasing Kin the last couple of days with that information. Kin did her best to act like it didn't bother her. But in her private moments, Kin expressed her hate toward fate for taking away the man who meant the world to her. Orochimaru called to meeting a few of the Sound Ninja, which included her, Dosu, and Zaku and told them about their participation in the upcoming Konoha Chunnin Exams. Supposedly, they were supposed to go after some kid named Sasuke. They were ordered to train hard and perform well. The ninja didn't have to be told this. It was obvious that failures would be eliminated. Kin used this time to take out all of her bottled in emotions. Of course, she would do her duty and take care of Sasuke for Orochimaru, but she would go a step further and excel in the exams. She had to do it for herself so she would be true equal in Orochimaru's and her teammate's eyes. But most of all, she wanted to do it for Rain. He was a Chunnin himself. If she could move up rank, she would indeed have been a girl that he would have been proud to have known. In the midst of her teammates cruel bullying, Kin worked hard and fought hard. Overcoming the odds, that would be her ninja way.


	16. Resolve

Chapter 16: Resolve

Months passed and the Sound Ninja as well as their agents were on their way to participate in the Chunnin Exams in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Normally, gennin come from all over to demonstrate their skill, strength and will and rise from entry level ninja to journeyman ninja. But for Sound, it was different. Their involvement involved advancing Orochimaru's plans. As Kin marched forward, she really began to consider how much more maniacal and terrible Orochimaru was becoming over the past few months. Before, Kin thought the world of Orochimaru. She always believed that he truly valued her and her fellow Sound Villagers. But that was all gone now. Both she and Dosu now realized that that to Orochimaru, everyone was an expendable weapon. Zaku was still under the delusion that he mattered. Kin thought for sure that with both of them sharing the same feelings about their leader, she and Dosu could get along more, but both he and Zaku were still cold to her. Even though she gained some skill and power with her hard work, the other two grew also and her skills were still not up to theirs. Sadly, Kin was still sub-standard in their eyes and Kin was ordered by Orochimaru himself to obey Dosu's every command. But Kin had a big problem with that. She was determined to prove herself. Orochimaru was traveling with them, disguised as their ninja captain. Orochimaru was an S-classed criminal, but that didn't stop him from coming to make sure his plans succeeded.

Once Sound reached the village as well as the other ninja villages, the registrations were taken care of and everyone endured the first test of the examination. Supposedly, everyone was supposed to take some insane examination and was supposed to get at least one answer right. Kin saw behind the façade though. It was simply a test to see how well one was able to gather information. Kin thought to herself how easy such a test would have been for the super sensed Ermaki brothers. Kin and Zaku passed the test with Dosu's help and awaited the next task. After the test, Dosu was especially sour toward Kin since he had to help her with the exam. He went on how stupid and useless she was, even though he too helped Zaku with the test. Instead of fighting back though, she walked away in disgust and anger. In an empty town square she sat down and buried her head into her knees and cried. "Are you Kin Tsuchi?" asked a voice behind her. Kin was shocked and embarrassed by one finding her at such a moment. "Who's asking?!" snapped Kin in anger. She turned around and found a sickly looking ninja who coughed loudly a few times. "I recognized you from the examination. You're Kin right?" he asked again. "What do you want with me Leaf Ninja?" growled Kin. "Take it easy, I just wanted to give you this" replied the man as he pulled out a ribbon bound note as well as something in a cloth. "What is this? I don't want anything from you!" she replied as she knocked it away. "It's not from me. "He" wanted you to have that" said the man with a sterner look on his face as he coughed again. "Huh?" replied Kin confused. She looked down at what the man gave her. The cloth opened and something metallic was glistening in the moonlight. Kin gasped and quickly picked everything up. Her eyes widened in shock. There was no doubt about it. It was Rain's headband and this must have been some kind of message from him. "Hey, where did you get this?" asked Kin, but the messenger was already gone. Kin cursed herself for being so rude. She opened up the letter and read. Emotion rushed Kin again. In the letter, Rain revealed that although he was still blind, he was learning how to cope and he met great people in the village. He also mentioned however that he knew Saito was nearby and how Rain was confident that he wouldn't be alive after the inevitable confrontation. Rain ended the letter writing that he was sure he would be at the exams and wished her luck. Kin crumpled the letter and hung her head down. Her pain by now was routine, yet was never easier to bear. "What's that you have in your hand?" asked a familiar voice as its owner grabbed the note out of her hand. "Dosu! Give that back!" yelled Kin. Dosu looked at the letter and threw it away. "Are you still pining after that fool!? You really are a stupid girl. I thought we squeezed all that idiocy out of you already? While I and Zaku are getting ready for the next test, you're over here pining over your dead boyfriend. I really wish you would have died with that ninja that night." Kin was furious. How dare he insult her and Rain! She rushed him with the intent to make a statement to him, but Dosu countered and instead beat her without much effort. After he was done, Kin was nursing her injuries and sniveling on the ground. "Learn your place!" growled Dosu, "Maybe if I blow out of one of your ears, you'll begin to respect me. Dosu was just about to follow through with the threat when the wind suddenly picked up fiercely, blowing some nearby by lanterns, which scattered their light everywhere. When Dosu looked to where the wind came from, he swore he saw something in the light. It faded away whenever the light left, but when it returned, he thought he saw the glaring image of Rain Ermaki. The wind died down a few seconds later, and there was no more sign of the ghostly image anyway. Dosu still wasn't sure what just happened, but it spooked him enough so that he walked away. "Get back to the dorms, we have to get ready for tomorrow" commanded Dosu again. Kin was puzzled too. The night air was so calm before and for wind like that to pick up all of a sudden. Strange indeed. Kin went to pick up the letter and follow Dosu back to the dorms.


	17. Tragedy

Chapter 17: Tragedy

The second exam was underway the next day. All the remaining gennin met at some place called the "Forest of Death" and talked with the proctor, some woman named Anko. She gave them their instructions and also gave each team a scroll. Their tasks was not only to navigate and survive the deadly area and make it to the rendezvous point with all team members alive and healthy, but they also had to get another scroll of the opposite type from another team. Kin wandered away from her group to take a moment to prep herself. This exam was dangerous and was probably the most dangerous task she had ever done. Personally, she also felt she couldn't count on Dosu and Zaku to make it easier for her. The night before, Kin had a dream and Rain was in it. Strangely enough, Kin thought she felt Rain near but was almost driven to madness when Rain was never there to confirm those feelings. Kin heard a voice call to her. It was the proctor Anko. "Hayate told me that you were Rain Ermaki's girlfriend. You are lucky. If he wasn't condemned to go back to his village, I may have taken him from you." Kin was offended at the callous remark by Anko. "What's your point?" asked Kin with scorn in her voice. "Hey, take it easy small fry. I just wanted to let you know that Rain was a great man and the village is very deeply saddened that we couldn't do anything more for him. I visited him a couple times myself and he always talked about how he wanted to find you again and take you away from the Sound Village. Tell me, does someone named Orochimaru live at that village?" Kin tried to hide her surprise. Kin had no qualms about telling the Leaf Ninja everything she knew if it meant getting asylum from the village and also getting information about Rain, but she knew that it surely meant her death too. "I saw you have a fight with another Sound Ninja yesterday. He looked like this isn't the first time he's picked on you. You know, if that village is mistreating you, we could do something about it" Anko did indeed witness Dosu's and Kin's fight. After meeting Rain face to face, Anko took a liking to him and made a personal mission to fulfill his wish to help Kin. Not only that, when the name Orochimaru came up, Anko was certain that if she could gain the trust of Kin, she could learn about his whereabouts and plans. She needed something to work with because the curse mark on her neck had been hurting terribly. The treacherous Saito Ermaki was also spotted with the exact same curse mark. Anko couldn't help but feel that he was making a move soon and it involved the Leaf Village. She observed Kin's uncomfortable face and knew she had to back off or else she would surely make a scene. She was confident Kin wouldn't tell the village though. Rain told Anko and Hayate that Kin felt conflicting loyalty to the village. "I'm sorry to have put you through this before the test. Do me a favor will you? Pass this test. I would like to get to know you better. Maybe we could chat sometime about Rain or something." Anko's curse mark stung again and she walked away and prepared to open the Forest of Death to the participants. Kin wondered if there was some chance that she was connected to Orochimaru somehow. Kin rejoined her group and hid her uneasiness from the team. She was herself wondering where Orochimaru was. Kin heard that there were some recent murders in the village. She could not help but feel that her leader was behind them somehow. When it was time for the test to start, Kin and her group rushed to the Forest of Death to endure their second test.

As it turned out, the second test was disastrous for Kin's team. They met with Sasuke Uchiha and his friends. Kin had her mind stolen from another Leaf Ninja and Zaku and Dosu took the opportunity to beat her to snap her out of it. But what shocked them the most was when Sasuke also released the power of a curse mark, just like Saito, that Anko woman, and the Sound 

Ninja Five. In a rage, Zaku's arms were nearly broken. Dosu gave the Konoha ninja their scroll so that they would be spared. After fleeing, the team made a frantic effort to get two scrolls again, which they did, after Dosu and Zaku cruelly used Kin as bait. Kin and her teammates passed the second test. But Kin was humiliated and hurting. Her feelings toward herself were at an all time low. Word had it that the last exam was going to be straight fighting. Kin would definitely do well this time. She had to. As the exam wore on, Kin's confidence in herself waxed worse. In a twist of fate, Dosu lost his life when he picked a fight with some powerful Sand Ninja. With Zaku injured, she would be the star. Things did not go as planned though. Though she gave it her all, she lost her match against a Leaf Ninja named Shikamaru in an embarrassing way. Zaku lost his match against a Leaf Ninja named Shino, which led to his arms to be blown to bits by Shino's bugs. All of Sound representatives failed the exam. Kin was down on herself, but Anko's face flashed in her mind. Surely Orochimaru would surely kill her for not taking care of Sasuke or honoring the village with victory. The Leaf Village may be her only hope. But before that, Orochimaru called her and Zaku to a meeting.

Kin was nervous as she stood before her sensei. He informed them of another special mission. It started with them getting into coffins. Kin's heart sank. She was certain her life was over. Had Orochimaru known that Kin intended to talk to Anko and the Leaf Village? While she was thinking this over, she felt very tired. She slowly closed her eyes and her consciousness started to dim. Maybe things would be better after some sleep…


	18. Rebrith

Chapter 18: Rebirth

Kin woke up with a start. Where was she? She was in the middle of a quiet, forest area thick with plants. She stood up and looked around. Something was wrong. She looked back and saw what appeared to be two bodies on the ground. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked the female. It didn't respond. She looked closer at the partially concealed body. She screamed at what she saw. That was her on the ground! Zaku rose up slowly and saw Kin. Kin noticed that he could move his arms just fine. "Hey Kin, what's up?" he asked. "Zaku, look behind you!" Zaku did look behind him and was just as shocked. As strange as it sounded, Zaku and Kin seemed to be separated from their bodies. In fact, it appears that they were very much dead. For the first time, Zaku looked shocked and hurt by reality. Kin was surprised by his reaction. Zaku was mean to her too, but he had his moments. In fact after the end of the second examination, Zaku showed great remorse for his and Dosu's behavior. He even apologized to her and promised to treat her better. They were not quite sure how it happened, but it was clear. Orochimaru had somehow killed them off. But what was going to happen now? Just as they were thinking that, shapeless black shadows started to appear. They first aggressively attacked Zaku and were holding him down. "Kin! Get away!" yelled Zaku. Kin tried to flee but she too was tripped up by the shapeless masses. Their mere touch and presence was enough to bring terror. As soon as they were both pinned, they were being dragged into the ground. Zaku still tried to fight, but his built in weapons were gone. "No! Please!" pleaded Kin. Crying on the inside and out, Kin braced herself for a sure unpleasant fate. Just at the last moment, a radiant presence made itself known. At it's coming, the shadows were dispelled and driven away. At first, the presence was too much to look upon but it reached out and touched her. She gasped and looked up. She could now see two people. "You okay?" asked the one touching her. His voice? Could it be? Kin looked upon him as he took his hand in hers. It was Rain. "Rain!" cried Kin as she jumped up and almost tackled him. "Is that her Raincloud?" asked the other person. "Yes, Haku. We got here just in time" "What what's going on?" asked Zaku scrambling away. "Don't worry. You're fine now" assured Haku with a smile. "I don't understand Rain. What happened?" asked Kin, still hugging Rain tightly. "Well, Orochimaru used a forbidden technique to use your bodies to house the first two Kages of the Leaf Village. When the Third Hokage sealed them away, that in turn cost yours and Zaku's existence. The underworld tried to take both of you away, but I and my friend here just couldn't let that happen." Kin let go of her embrace and looked Rain in the face. "I told you I would be back for you. I wouldn't let them have you Kin. We belong to each other. "Not that I'm not grateful, but why me Rain? asked Zaku. "I tried to kill you to and I was a bully to Kin, and I also helped invade the village you allied yourself with." "That's true" said Haku still smiling. "In the end though, you were a victim yourself just like Kin. Besides, you started to treat her better and also wanted to change for the better. That's more then what we could say about Dosu. Raincloud and I tried to get him too, but his pride and bitterness still weighed him down. We couldn't help him" Zaku held his head down and seemed to be whimpering. "Thanks…I'm sorry Rain" said Zaku. "Hey, no harm done." "Come on, let's get going" said Rain. "But what about Konoha and Orochimaru?" asked Kin. "Well, I suppose we no longer have a say in that, since none of us are part of the mortal coil. We have our own dealings now." "Where are 

we going? What's going to happen to us now?" asked Zaku again. "You ask too many questions" said Haku as he pushed Zaku forward. Kin took Rain's arm and held herself closely and tightly. As Haku pushed Zaku forward, a third man appeared. It was Hayate, the sickly ninja who gave Kin the letter. "You guys ready?" he asked. Still asking questions as he was lead along, Zaku disappeared with Haku. Rain and Kin stayed behind for a spell while Hayate waited for them. "You were watching me, were you not? Were you ashamed of me? I did do some bad things to your friends." "Don't speak" said Rain as he came close. Kin remained silent and once their lips met, she was sure that in the end, she did get her fairytale ending. And Zaku was able to come along also. Her only hope now was that her new heroes, Anko and the Leaf Village, would stop Orochimaru and make him pay for his treachery. "It's time to go friends" said Hayate again as he joined Rain and Kin. They both nodded and all three of them disappeared as well, to enjoy the afterlife together and in peace.

Chapter 18: Rebirth

Kin woke up with a start. Where was she? She was in the middle of a quiet, foresty area thick with plants. She stood up and looked around. Something was wrong. She looked back and saw what appeared to be two bodies on the ground. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked the female. It didn't respond. She looked closer at the partially concealed body. She screamed at what she saw. That was her on the ground! Zaku rose up slowly and saw Kin. Kin noticed that he could move his arms just fine. "Hey Kin, what's up?" he asked. "Zaku, look behind you!" Zaku did look behind him and was just as shocked. As strange as it sounded, Zaku and Kin seemed to be separated from their bodies. In fact, it appears that they were very much dead. For the first time, Zaku looked shocked and hurt by reality. Kin was surprised by his reaction. Zaku was mean to her too, but he had his moments. In fact after the end of the second examination, Zaku showed great remorse for his and Dosu's behavior. He even apologized to her and promised to treat her better. They were not quite sure how it happened, but it was clear. Orochimaru had somehow killed them off. But what was going to happen now? Just as they were thinking that, shapeless black shadows started to appear. They first aggresivley attacked Zaku and were holding him down. "Kin! Get away!" yelled Zaku. Kin tried to flee but she too was tripped up by the shapeless masses. Their mere touch and presence was enough to bring terror. As soon as they were both pinned, they were being dragged into the ground. Zaku still tried to fight, but his built in weapons were gone. "No! Please!" pleaded Kin. Crying on the inside and out, Kin braced herself for a sure unpleasant fate. Just at the last moment, a radiant presence made itself known. At it's coming, the shadows were displed and driven away. At first, the presence was too much to look upon but it reached out and touched her. She gasped and looked up. She could now see two people. "You okay?" asked the one touching her. His voice? Could it be? Kin looked upon him as he took his hand in hers. It was Rain. "Rain!" cried Kin as she jumped up and almost tackled him. "Is that her Raincloud?" asked the other person. "Yes, Haku. We got here just in time" "What what's going on?" asked Zaku scrambling away. "Don't worry. You're fine now" assured Haku with a smile. "I don't understand Rain. What happened?" asked Kin, still hugging Rain tightly. "Well, Orochimaru used a forbidden technique to use your bodies to house the first two Kages of the Leaf Village. When the Third Hokage sealed them away, that in turn cost yours and 

Zaku's existence. The underworld tried to take both of you away, but me and my friend here just couldn't let that happen." Kin let go of her embrace and looked Rain in the face. "I told you I would be back for you. I wouldn't let them have you Kin. We belong to each other. "Not that I'm not grateful, but why me Rain? asked Zaku. "I tried to kill you to and I was a bully to Kin, and I also helped invade the village you allied yourself with." "That's true" said Haku still smiling. "In the end though, you were a victim yourself just like Kin. Besides, you started to treat her better and also wanted to change for the better. That's more then what we could say about Dosu. Raincloud and I tried to get him too, but his pride and bitterness still weighed him down. We couldn't help him" Zaku held his head down and seemed to be whimpering. "Thanks…I'm sorry Rain" said Zaku. "Hey, no harm done." "Come on, let's get going" said Rain. "But what about Konoha and Orochimaru?" asked Kin. "Well, I suppose we no longer have a say in that, since none of us are part of the mortal coil. We have our own dealings now." "Where are we going? What's going to happen to us now?" asked Zaku again. "You ask to many questions" said Haku as he pushed Zaku forward. Kin took Rain's arm and held herself closely and tightly. As Haku pushed Zaku forward, a third man appeared. It was Hayate, the sickly ninja who gave Kin the letter. "You guys ready?" he asked. Still asking questions as he was lead along, Zaku disappeared with Haku. Rain and Kin stayed behind for a spell while Hayate waited for them. "You were watching me, were you not? Were you ashamed of me? I did do some bad things to your friends." "Don't speak" said Rain as he came close. Kin remained silent and once their lips met, she was sure that in the end, she did get her fairytale ending. And Zaku was able to come along also. Her only hope now was that her new heroes, Anko and the Leaf Village, would stop Orochimaru and make him pay for his treachery. "It's time to go friends" said Hayate again as he joined Rain and Kin. They both nodded and all three of them disappeared as well, to enjoy the afterlife together and in peace.


End file.
